Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)

Name: Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Start: 2026-05-19T03:52:10.000Z
Location: Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)

Provider: Avio S.p.A

Vehicle: Vega-C

Launch Date: May 19, 2026 · 03:52 UTC

Launch Site: Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)

Target Orbit: Elliptical

Orbital Compute Tier: Insufficient data

Joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to investigate the interaction between Earth’s protective shield – the magnetosphere – and the supersonic solar wind.

Mission intelligence

Current mission briefs are available immediately to Explore customers and enter the public archive 30 days after launch when their research is ready.